


In the trenches

by Chevy



Series: When the Captain says my name [2]
Category: Firefly
Genre: F/M, Wash's Baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-27
Updated: 2014-04-27
Packaged: 2018-01-20 23:21:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1529507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chevy/pseuds/Chevy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Captain doesn't need to say Zoe's name, but this is how he says it sometimes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the trenches

Now, when it came to his first mate, the Captain didn't really need to have ways of saying her name because in reality they could plan an entire heist without so much as exchanging a single word. Nevertheless, she didn't have to look at him to translate her own name on his lips.

"Zoe"

It was soft, quiet, low. Like the huff of a man just shot in the back. He'd said it as she stood staring at her husband's name, wearing her wedding dress and wishing like hell the wound on her back had killed her back there on Miranda. She'd heard that tone to others before, when they were in the trenches and somebody had just lost a mate, a brother, a lover to the fire and horrors. She'd never heard him direct that tone to her before and it hit her like she'd been the one shot. It was like the key that turned the lock on her emotions and suddenly everything rushed out. Mal, being Mal, just held her tightly and stood there.

"ZOOOOIEEEE!"

Of course she knew what that meant. It meant; _'Gorrammit you were right again!_ ' and that she should probably do something to save his life so she could give him the 'I told you so' look at a later date.

"Zo-ee!"

Whiney/cranky/short-tempered/hung-over Captain needing attention. It meant he'd married a sociopathic red-head, bet Serenity in a card game, found Simon and Kaylee wrapped up somewhere mightily inappropriate, had a ten-second conversation with River or found Jayne nekkid someplace. The rest of the crew had become accustomed to making themselves scarce when the Captain said Zoe's name in this particular way, especially if they were the cause of the tone.

"Zoe!"

Usually followed by some blustering, terrible excuse that said more for her correctness on whatever statement he was denying than if he had just agreed with it. Like the time she asked why he was sneaking back from Inara's pod early in the day cycle wearing yesterday's clothes and he'd started giving her a detailed lecture on the dangers of space monkeys. Or when she'd said there was no way Badger was going to fall for their cargo-switch trick.

Then, sometimes, just for a change, he'd give her a nod and say 'Zoe' crisply and simply and confidently and she'd immediately relax because everything was good. It meant Wash's baby was sound asleep and dreaming sweet white dreams, that River hadn't needed her soother today, that Jayne hadn't shot/killed/blown up/punched out anyone or anything important. It was a balm to her soul. She always dreamed of Wash's smile when he said her name like that right before she went to her bunk for the night, lulled by the sound of her baby's breaths.


End file.
